Going The Distance
by Hyperteenager24
Summary: The son of the Greek Gods Hephaestus and Aphrodite is stripped of his immortality as an infant and must become a true hero in order to reclaim it... the only problem is, he isn't really the hero type.
1. Chapter 1

Hercules AU!

This is my first Disney AU for Coldwave and I hope you all like it ?

Please read, review and enjoy ?

…

Hephaestus never believed someone as beautiful as Aphrodite would ever love someone like him.

Why would she?

Their marriage had been arranged by Zeus, probably as some kind of sick joke. Aphrodite was stunning, and she could have whoever she wanted…. Hephaestus, however, was the ugliest God on Olympus.

Hell, even his own Mother couldn't stand to look at him, casting him off the edge of Mount Olympus not long after he was born.

And yet…. Aphrodite surprised him.

Yes, they had their rough moments…. Usually involving Ares, but here they were…. Celebrating the birth of their first child.

"Michael!" Aphrodite giggled as her son grabbed at her hair, the giggle sounding like musical windchimes in the breeze, "Behave yourself!"

Hephaestus couldn't help but smile fondly at the sight, wriggling in fingers in front of his son's face, watching as Michael practically crossed his eyes trying to focus on them.

"Excuse me! One side! Coming through!"

The pair turned, watching as a red blur shot towards them. It was no surprise that Hermes was late, he did have an alternate persona on Earth… some kind of hero if Hephaestus remembered correctly.

Hermes beamed at Aphrodite, handing her a bouquet of flowers, which the Goddess of Love accepted gratefully. "Hermes! Oh, they're lovely!"

"I'm glad you liked them! I had Orphius do the arrangement, isn't that just nutty?!" He then zipped over to Hephaestus and beamed at him, unfazed by the glare in his direction, "Great party! I haven't seen this much love in a room since Narcissus discovered himself!"

As the pair were talking, Michael (who had been placed in his bed) leaned over and tried to grab his Father's prized hammer, the one that was used to build and form Zeus's lightning bolts and all the weapons of the Gods.

"Ummmm, Hephaestus, honey…" Aphrodite spoke up, her eyes on her son, "… should he be playing with that?"

Hephaestus glanced down, before shrugging. "It's not like he can lift i- "He stopped in shock as his son grabbed the hammer a little more fully and threw it at one of the pillars.

Thank Zeus they were made of cloud and the hammer simply came flying back to its owner.

"Okay…" Hephaestus winced, "… maybe he can lift it."

He cleared his throat nervously as Aphrodite glared at him, turning his attention to the other Gods. "On behalf of my son, I would like to thank you all for your wonderful gifts!"

"And what about our gift Hephie?"

Hephaestus beamed at this, "I never thought you'd ask…" He pulled a small figure out of his pocket, "… Meet Ray."

"…Ray?"

Hephaestus placed the tiny figure on the ground and waved his hand, watching as the figure grew to the size of a normal man, with a spark of life breathed into him.

"Ray is…. well, Ray is a guardian for Michael. A companion who can grow and shrink depending on what Michael needs…. He also flies, but- "

"- but Michael won't be doing anything like that for a few years." Interrupted Aphrodite, handing Michael over to his Father, "Mind his head dear."

"… He's so tiny."

Michael was clearly thrilled to be in his Father's arms, reaching up to try and grab Hephaestus's hair, before playing with the pendant attached to his nightshirt. After a couple minutes of contented silence, Michael eventually yawned.

Placing his son back in his bed, Hephaestus smiled fondly down at him. "Good night my little boy."

"How sentimental…."

Everyone turned to the entrance, frowns on their faces as they spotted a familiar, shadowy figure standing there.

Hades smirked at them, "… You know, I haven't been this choked up since I got a hunk of moussaka caught in my throat."

Hades…. Lord of the Underworld. Hephaestus didn't know whether the God was late because of his other role on Earth, or because he hated parties.

"So, is this an audience or a mosaic?"

Hades in his God form, had no distinguishable features, and was merely a vague form of shadows moving through the crowd.

"How are you doing… nice dress."

Zeus, who had been overseeing the entire party from his throne, quickly made his way down and patted his brother on the back. "So, Hades, you finally made it. How are things in the underworld?"

"Well, they're just fine. You know, a little dark, a little gloomy. And, as always, hey, full of dead people. What are you gonna do?" He then zipped over to where Michael was lying in his crib, "And there's the little fireball."

He then conjured a spiked object out of thin hand, "Here…. For the baby!"

Before Hephaestus could even think about grabbing the spiked object out of Hades's hand, Michael made that move for him… instead of grabbing the toy however, he grabbed Hades's finger… and crushed it.

"ARGH!" Hades cried out in pain, wrenching his finger away. "Strong little…. Tyke, ain't he?"

Zeus was the only God who had the audacity to laugh at the shadowy brother, "Lighten up Hades! Come and join the party!"

"Love to…" Hades hissed, "… but unlike you Gods, lounging about up here, I have a full-time job that you, Zeus, so lovingly bestowed on me… so can't… love to, but can't!"

"You oughta slow down, or you'll work yourself to death." The unintentional joke suddenly seemed to hit Zeus, and he fell back laughing, "HA! Work yourself to death! HA! I kill myself!"

Hephaestus watched as Hades strode away, muttering darkly under his breath, before turning to Aphrodite. "Why do parties always turn into the Zeus and Hades drama show?"

"It's just their nature sweetie… it's all good-natured. Hades is probably really sweet behind all that smoke."

…..

But if there's one God you don't want to get steamed up, it's Hades…. Because he had an evil plan. As soon as he arrived at the gates of his kingdom, Hades bellowed up the stairs.

"Pain!"

Pain, who was a skinny young man, wearing multi-coloured clothing, came rushing down the stairs. "Coming, your most lugubriousness." He then tripped, rolling down the stairs with a loud yelp with every hit.

"Panic!"

Panic, a nervous looking being with spectacles and a flute by his side, quickly raced out, his face pale in worry. "Oh, sorry. I can handle it!" he exclaimed, hand reaching for his own throat to deliver his own punishment.

However, as he ran down the stairs, he tripped and crashed into Pain, the pair of them tumbling down the stairs with Pain ending up on the bottom.

Pain yelped and groaned, "Hartley Pain – ow!"

"And Axel Panic – eechk!"

"Reporting for duty!" "Reporting for duty!"

If he had eyes, they were sure that Hades would be rolling them as he groaned at their double act. "Fine, fine, fine. Just inform me the minute the Fates arrive."

"Oh, they're here!" Axel announced, clearly expecting a warm reception.

He was disappointed.

Hades span around as suffocating shadows filled the room and red glowing orbs appeared where his eyes usually were, "WHAT? The Fates were here, and you didn't tell me?!"

Pain and Panic both groaned, falling to their knees and grovelling.

"We are worms! Worthless worms!" "We are worms! Worthless worms!""

The shadows disappeared, as Hades turned away from them, "Memo to me, Memo to me: Maim you after my meeting."

Pain and Panic gave each a troubled glance as their Master glided through a doorway and into his council room.

"Darling…" crooned a female voice, "… hold that mortal's thread of life nice and tight."

With a snip of the scissors, the thread was cut, and a scream echoed throughout the room.

"INCOMING!" another female voice cried out as a ghostly figure flew through the entrance, heading straight for the Underworld as the soul count went up by one.

The sound and sight were un-nerving, but Hades was unbothered, making his way over to the fates.

"Ladies…" he began, clearly forcing cheer and politeness into his voice, "… Sorry I'm- "

"- Late." Interrupted one of the women, "Yes, we knew you would be."

"We know everything!" the second lady smirked, "Past…"

"…. Present …"

"…. And future!" finished the last woman.

"Yeah, great… you see I was at this party and- "

"- we know!"

Hades growled under his breath, "I know, you know." He moved over to his war-table, "So here's the deal, Scarface and Miss Perfect now have this- "

"- bouncing baby brat! We know!"

"I KNOW, YOU KNOW!" Hades bellowed, shadows filling the room, "I know, I get it, I get the concept!" He took a deep breath and calmed down, "So I gotta ask, is this kid gonna get in the way of my plans for global domination or what?"

"Weeeell- "

"- Oh no you don't." A second Fate scolded her sister, "We're not supposed to reveal the future."

Hades paused for a brief moment, before heading over to the more susceptible Fate. "Hold on, time out…. Did you do something with your hair, it looks fabulous, honestly, you look like a fate worse than death!"

The Fate blushed at the praise, giggling into her hand until her friend punched her in the back of her head, the All-seeing eye popping out and falling directly into Panic's hands.

"Oh gross!" the minion yelled, "It's all slimy!"

When he threw it at Pain, the other minion yelped and jumped back, "Don't throw it at me!" he yelled, kicking it away, where it rebounded off the wall and into Hades's hands.

"Ladies, please…" he beseeched, handing the eye back, "… my fate is in your lovely hands."

The Fates all glanced at one another, before the older one waved her hand. "Oh, go on then."

With a simple word, the eye started to rise into the air, turning into a white, glowing orb.

"In 18 years precisely, the planets will align ever so nicely."

Hades rolled his eyes, "Ay, verse. Oy."

"The time to act will be at hand. Unleash the Titans, your monstrous band!"

"Mmm-hmm. Good, good."

"Then the once-proud Zeus will finally fall… And you, Hades, will rule all!"

"YES! Hades rules!" Hades whooped in glee.

"But a word of caution to this tale..."

"Excuse me?"

"…. Should Michael fight, you will fail."

The three Fates all cackled and vanished into thin air, the white orb quickly following on behind, disappearing with a pop.

"WHAAAT?!" Hades bellowed, darkness encompassing the entire room, before he quickly calmed down and took several deep breaths, "Okay, fine, fine… I'm cool… I'm fine."

He stormed over to the doors that led further into the Underworld, closely followed by his minions.

"Pain… Panic, I have a little riddle for you. How do you kill a God?"

Pain frowned, "I do not know…"

"You can't!" Panic announced, "They're immortal!"

Hades chuckled, grabbing a small vial of pink liquid, and holding it up. "Bingo…. Which means we need to turn the little fire-ball…. Mortal."

…..

Less than a month later, night was falling across Mount Olympus.

Baby Michael was cuddled up to miniature Ray, hand loosely clutching the toy/bodyguard as he slept peacefully…. Unaware of the shadows creeping across the walls of his room.

In the next room over, Hephaestus and Aphrodite were startled awake by a loud crash and the cry of a baby.

"Michael!" Aphrodite cried out, leaping out of bed and racing towards her son's room, throwing open the door… only to fall back against Hephaestus, who had followed her in.

"No…" he whispered, when he realised why his wife had practically collapsed, "…. NO!"

"Michael!" she sobbed, her eyes on the over-turned cradle and the abandoned toy lying beside it, "Michael!"

"NO!"

…

Hearing the heart-broken cry shatter the night, Pain and Panic winced and quickened their steps.

"I can't believe we did this!" Panic groaned, "Zeus is going to use us for target practice and Hephaestus is going to make statues of us!"

"Shut up and just run!"

The baby started to cry as they slipped into a nearby alleyway, causing the pair to panic slightly.

"Let's just get this over with!" Panic exclaimed, as Pain pulled the potion vial out of his bag and shoved it into Michael's mouth.

"Come on kid…" he muttered as Michael gulped it down greedily, "… get it down, quickly now."

The glow of Michael's skin started to fade with every drop that he drank, prompting Panic to quiver in excitement. "Can we kill him now?"

"No, no, no! He has to drink it all! Every last drop!"

"Who's there?!"

The pair freaked out, dropping the potion vial and the baby, before disappearing into the shadows… missing the fact that one drop was still left in the vial, hanging onto the glass for a few moments before it dropped to the ground, quickly absorbed by the dirt.

Watching from the shadows, they saw a stern-looking man emerge from around the corner, torch landing on Michael instantly.

"Honey!" The man yelled, "Honey, come here!"

A woman emerged from around the corner, her face lighting up at the sight of the crying baby, "Oh you poor thing!" she cooed, lifting Michael into her arms, as her husband searched for anybody nearby.

In the shadows, Panic glanced at Pain. "Now?"

"Now."

Together, the pair transformed themselves into snakes and slithered closer to where their target was.

"He must have been abandoned." The man sighed.

"We've prayed so much for a child of our own, what if the Gods have answered us?"

The man didn't seem to agree with her but remained silent as he examined the necklace that was around the baby's neck.

"Michael?" he read out loud, noticing a strange symbol on the jewellery… until he spotted the shadows of the snakes on the alleyway.

The woman screamed as Pain and Panic dived in for the kill, however, the baby in her arms simply squealed in delight, grabbing the snakes and smacking their heads against the ground.

The skin of the snakes started to bubble and blister under intense heat, as Michael's hands seemed to glow red, like red hot metal being heated up. Tying the snakes together, he swirled them around for a couple of seconds, before throwing them off into the distance.

As the snakes disappeared into the night sky, Michael glanced back at the shocked adults and giggled.

…..

When they landed in a tree, quickly shifting out of their snake forms, Panic started to… well, panic.

"What are we going to do?!" he exclaimed, "Hades is going to kill us when he finds out!"

"You mean if he finds out!"

"What do you mean, I- "Panic paused, realisation dawning in his mind, "… If…. If is good."

…..

It was tragic.

Hephaestus and Aphrodite begged Zeus to lead the Gods on a frantic search for their new-born, but by the time they found Michael, it was too late.

Michael was mortal now.

But since he did not drink the last drop, he still retained his God-like strength and the fire powers inherited from his Father.

Aphrodite wept the night he was found, knowing that her son could never come home, knowing that she would have to watch her precious baby grow up from afar.

Even though Hades's horrid plan took place before Michael's first tooth, the baby grew stronger every day.

Which wasn't always a good thing.


	2. Chapter 2

Hercules AU!

This is my first Disney AU for Coldwave and I hope you all like it ?

Please read, review and enjoy ?

…

"Mick! MICK!"

Mick Rory shot up from where he was lying in the fields, his eyes quickly spotting the smoke rising into the air.

"Shit…" he grunted, rushing over to the barn where a fire was spreading, "…. shit, shit, shit!"

"Enough swearing and help us get this fire out!"

The fire had already burnt through half the hay, which it meant that Mick had to act quickly. Moving away from the other workers of the farm, out of eyesight, he placed his hands on the burning hay, watching as they glowed bright red, absorbing the heat and the flames into his own body.

He didn't know why he had these abilities, but he didn't complain…. It made lighting his cigs easier.

Once the flames had died down enough, the other workers found it easier to extinguish the flames, cheering in success as Mick tried to sneak away.

Before he could leave the barn, his arm was grabbed from behind and he was slammed into a wall.

"This had better not have been your doing!" his father hissed, gripping Mick's arm tightly, "If I ever find out that you- "

"- piss off." Mick grunted, yanking his arm free, "It weren't me."

"Prove it!"

"Prove it was me first!"

Mick's father growled and took a step back, knowing that he had no way of proving Mick was responsible for the fire. "Get out of my sight." The older man sighed, turning away from Mick.

"Gladly!"

Storming away from the farm, Mick strode all the way into town, a lit cigarette in his mouth. It was hard watching everyone practically dive away in order to avoid coming into contact with him, but it had been that way since he was ten.

He'd burnt down the local antique shop… the shopkeeper had made it out alive and no charges were brought against him, but everyone knew he was responsible.

For a ten-year-old, having the whole town hate and fear him was hard…. In fact, it was the worse feeling ever.

Mick was past the point of caring now. They were all bastards anyway.

Speaking of bastards…

"Hey! Heatwave!"

God, he hated that name.

Mick turned to face whoever was calling him, a frown already on his face in preparation. "What?"

The young man who'd approached him, sneered at him. "Your parents kick you out yet freak?!"

"Piss off."

When he tried to walk away, he quickly realised that the young man's friends were starting to crowd around him, backing him into an alleyway. "Seriously…" he grunted, feeling his hands getting warmer and warmer, "… you don't want to do this."

The other men didn't seem to care, all clearly looking forwards to 'teaching Mick a lesson'.

"Seriously…." Mick grunted again, straightening up in an attempt to seem larger, "… Don't. Do. This."

They didn't listen.

The leader ran forwards, fist drawn back to strike Mick across the face. The punch landed, but Mick didn't even flinch… it felt more like a tickle to him.

However, despite not being hurt, Mick could feel his hands getting hotter and hotter.

He had to get out of there.

"Let. Me. Go!" he ordered, hoping that they would take the hint.

No such luck.

CRACK

"AAHHH!"

The man clutched his broken knuckles, glaring up at Mick who didn't even flinch at the second hit.

"I'm warning you!"

They didn't listen, instead choosing to leap on the larger man in an attempt to overpower him.

"Get off! Get off!"

Some of the young men were yelping when their bare skin met Mick's, their hands blistering and burning with the heat that was coming off of him. Many tried to get away when they realised what was happening, but it was too late.

With a bellowing cry, Mick hunched into a ball as flames seemed to erupt from his skin, instantly searing the flesh off his attackers, and practically turning them into tiny piles of ash.

From outside the alleyway, it must have been easy to spot the flames, and hear the cries from the young men… which is probably why Mick heard sirens less than 5 minutes after he'd finally managed to cool down enough.

Scattered all around him, were the charred remains of the young men, the mouths of their skulls wide open in a parody of a scream, the smell of burnt flesh in the air.

Shit.

At the moment, everyone was too scared to come into the alleyway, but it was only a matter of time. Desperately, Mick glanced around, searching for a way out that didn't involve walking into the main streets.

There!

A little above his eye-level, there was the ladder to a fire escape, the edges of it red-hot from the previous fire explosion.

Knowing that he had very little time, Mick leapt up and grabbed the lowest rung of the ladder, pulling it down and scrambling up it, making it onto the rooftop seconds before the firemen and police swarmed the area.

…..

The police were at his home.

His Dad was practically blowing up with phone with all the angry texts.

Everyone knew he was the cause behind the fire, which meant that everyone was out looking for him.

Great.

Sighing wearily to himself, Mick reached into his top and pulled out his pendant. He'd had this pendant for as long as he could remember…. Gold, with his name engraved on it along with an unusual symbol.

He was thirteen when he finally decided to research the symbol, quickly finding out that it was the symbol of the God, Hephaestus… when he questioned his mother as to why he had a pendant like this, she hesitated…. Before revealing that they'd adopted him and that he'd been abandoned.

She had no idea why he had the pendant on him.

Maybe that was it…. Mick focused on the pendant, quickly remembering everything that he'd researched about the God, Hephaestus.

He had a temple not far from the outer borders of their town, closer to Central City… Maybe if he travelled there, he would find out where he actually came from.

Having made the decision, Mick pushed himself to his feet, glancing around to make sure the police were nowhere to be seen, before pulling his hood over his head, heading back to the streets and waiting near the nearest bus stop… albeit, he waited in the shadows for safety.

As soon as the bus arrived, he raced onboard, threw the change at the driver and headed right to the back.

Cops were shit in this town… they'd never think to look outside of town… nor would they stop any buses from leaving.

He needed to know where he came from.

….

The Temple was just as he expected.

Dark, dingy and creepy… perfect.

"Alright…" he muttered, glancing around, "… Well, here I am!"

Silence.

"Look, I just want to know where I came from? Who I really am? Why the fuck I can set myself on fire!"

He then turned to the giant statue of Hephaestus, holding his arms out in a 'well?' expression.

Before he could say anything else, wind started to swirl around the room and the large torches that were next to the statue suddenly lit up.

And then the statues eyes lit up, fixing on a slightly stunned Mick.

"MY BOY. MY LITTLE MICHAEL."

"What the fuck!" Mick cried out as the giant stone hand reached out for him, prompting him to light his hands on fire and attempt to fire at the statue.

It had no effect.

Gently, the hand grabbed him and lifted him into the air, until he was level with the statues face.

"SUCH PASSION!" Boomed the statue, "IS THAT ANYWAY TO SAY HELLO TO YOUR FATHER?"

Mick felt his jaw drop slightly, "Father?"

"DIDN'T KNOW YOU HAD A FAMOUS FATHER DID YOU? SURPRISE!"

Mick was still in shock.

"LOOK HOW YOU'VE GROWN…" The statue examined Mick from head to toe, "… YOU HAVE YOUR MOTHER'S EYES, AND MY STRONG CHIN!"

"Wait, wait…" Mick frowned, "… if you're my Pops, that would make me a- "

"- A GOD."

"A God… I'm a fucking God!"

"YOU WANTED ANSWERS, AND BY THE FIRES OF POMPEII, YOU ARE OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW THE TRUTH."

"So, why'd you leave me on Earth… didn't you want me?" Mick didn't really want to know the answer… just in case it was the wrong one.

"OF COURSE, WE DID. YOUR MOTHER AND I LOVED YOU DEARLY… BUT SOMEONE STOLE YOU FROM US AND TURNED YOU MORTAL! AND ONLY GODS CAN LIVE ON MOUNT OLYMPUS."

"Sooo… you can do fuck all about it?"

"I CAN'T DO ANYTHING NO, BUT YOU CAN."

"Really…" Mick couldn't deny it, he was excited, "… what is it. I'll do anything!"

"MICHAEL. IF YOU CAN PROVE YOURSELF TO BE A TRUE HERO ON EARTH, THEN YOUR GOD-HOOD WILL BE RESTORED."

"A… a hero." Mick winced, "I'm not really the hero-ing type."

"FIND FRANCISCO RAMON, THE TRAINER OF HEROES."

"Great…. And how do I do that?"

The statue smirked at his, before placing two fingers in its' mouth and whistling sharply. There was a mechanical whir as something small shot down from the ceiling and whizzed around Mick's head several times, before a robotic man suddenly appeared in front of him.

"What the- "

"- YOU PROBABLY DON'T REMEMBER RAY." The statue chuckled, "BUT YOU TWO GO WAY BACK SON."

The robotic man seemed thrilled to see him. "I can't believe you're finally here! This is so amazing! I told Hephaestus you'd make your way here one day, but he didn't believe me and- "

"-YOUR MOTHER SAID I MADE HIM FAR TOO TALKATIVE."

"Hey!"

"Alright…" Mick glanced at Ray and frowned, "So how exactly is he meant to carry me to this Francisco man?"

"I'm super strong! I can carry you!"

"… Great." Mick turned back to the statue, "Find Ramon, become a true hero and then become a God…. Sounds easy."

"I HAVE EVERY FAITH IN YOU MY SON."

"Yeah…" Mick straightened up at the words (so rarely heard from his…. from his adoptive Dad), "… yeah, okay. I won't let you down."

At these words, Ray increased in size a little more and Mick was encouraged to climb on his back, before he sped towards the exit of the Temple.

"GOOD LUCK MY SON." The fires went out and the statue was inanimate once again.

"Alright Robocop, take us to this hero trainer!"

"WAHOOOOO!"


	3. Chapter 3

Hercules AU!

This is my first Disney AU for Coldwave and I hope you all like it ?

Please read, review and enjoy ?

…

"Well this is creepy…"

Mick stared up at the abandoned Star Labs. There had been some sort of incident years and years ago, which caused the once popular tourist attraction to fall out of business and fall into ruin.

"… You sure this is where this trainer is Robocop?"

Ray, who had shrunken once again and hiding in Mick's pocket, nodded. "Yeah…. Yeah, I'm sure!"

"Alright then." Mick cautiously crept into the lab, making his way through the deserted corridors, most of them full of spare… science-y parts.

Ray however, was fascinated.

However, before he could say anything, there was a large boom from up ahead, followed by a shorter, dark-skinned man running out of a room, his sleeve slightly on fire. "Shit, shit, shit, shit!"

It was a tiny flame, but Mick couldn't be bothered to deal with the panicking and stretched out his arm, sucking the flames into his own body and drawing attention to himself.

"No, no, no!" The younger man exclaimed, his hands gesturing for Mick to back up (which he didn't), "You can't be in here! How did you even get in?!"

"Your security's shit… I just walked right in."

"…. I've been meaning to fix that, but you need to go!"

The young man pushed at Mick, wincing when the taller man didn't even budge.

"I don't suppose you'll leave peacefully?"

Mick smirked, "Not a chance… looking for a Francisco Ramon? Seen him about?"

"Ugh, I prefer Cisco."

"Great…" Mick patted Cisco on the shoulder and strode past him, "… you're the lucky bastard who gets to train me then. Call me Mick."

"W-What?"

"The tiny guy in my pocket is Ray."

"T-t-tiny guy in your p-p-pocket?"

"I need to become some sort of true hero, and apparently, you're the guy to go to."

Cisco was clearly starting to panic, "Who told you that?! I've trained anyone in my life!"

Mick was confused for a brief time, until he walked into the room that Cisco had ran out of. "Oh…" he chuckled, "… you might not have trained them, but you're a little bit obsessed, right kid?"

All around the room were little bits of memorabilia, all focused on different heroes, or incidents where a super-powered individual got involved. Spotting a little bat shaped object, Mick reached over to examine it closer, only for Cisco to dart forwards and grab it first.

"Don't touch! Don't you realise that this is an actual Batarang used by the Batman!"

"…. The dude who dresses up as a bat in Gotham?"

"Yeah…" Cisco seemed to be relaxing now, getting a little excited about his collection, "… I was in Metropolis when Superman stopped that other dude dressed in black. Did you watch the news footage about that?"

"Not- "

"- It was awesome! I've always been interested in learning how the top heroes even learnt how to fight… and okay, yeah, call me obsessed but these things are important to know!

"And you know them…. Which makes you perfect for the job."

Cisco winced at this, glancing around his room before sighing deeply. "I'm nobody dude… why would you even want me to train you?"

"… Call it divine intervention." Mick gestured at a mannequin in the corner of the room, "You doing anything with that?"

"Yes, I'm- "

"- you're not anymore." Taking a deep breath, Mick managed to conjure up a medium-sized ball of flames, which he threw at the mannequin, sending it flying back against the wall, crumbling into a ball of ashes."

"What the fuck dude!" Cisco cried out, sounding annoyed even though there was an impressed smile on his face, "How the- "

"- apparently, I'm the son of Hephaestus." Mick shrugged, "He was the God of Fire so…" he lit up his hands once again, "… hence the fire."

"Woah…. Wait? A god is your Dad!" Cisco laughed at this, "Yeah right!"

"It's true! And I need to be a true hero to re-join him on Olympus!"

"Ha! 'Daddy, read me a bedtime story!' 'ONCE UPON A TIME' Hahahahaha!"

Mick growled, grabbing Cisco by the front of his shirt and pinning the younger man against the wall. "It's true…. And you're going to help me!"

"… Well, you're not off a good start with this hero thing!"

At Mick's warning growl, Cisco held up his hands desperately. "Alright, alright… let's give this a shot."

….

It was a rough start, no-one was going to deny that.

A lot of targets became ashes during those first few weeks.

("Just hit the middle bit! Can't you control how much fire comes out of your hands?!"

"No! Otherwise I wouldn't be here!")

There was some resistance to the normal exercise routines.

("Aerobics… really kid?"

"It'll help! I promise!")

And then there were the exercises that we just plain rejected.

("No."

"I'm telling you! An egg on a spoon, in your mouth as you go along a tightrope… the perfect balancing act!")

And rescuing the damsel in distress was… an interesting experience.

("No girl is this limp! Most have the sense to at least hold on!"

"She might have swooned in your arms! That's why you have to be careful!"

"If she faints, then she'll get a fireman's carry…. None of this bride hold shit!")

All the rules started to get confusing after a while

("Rule number ninety-five! Concentr- AAH!"

"… Sorry kid."

"Rule number ninety-six! AIM!")

However, despite all the set-backs, Mick eventually managed to get the hang of everything, using his strength and fire abilities to his advantage and passing Cisco's final test with flying colours.

"Fuck yeah!" Mick whooped, dropping the damsel-in-distress and high-fiving Ray, who had been watching eagerly from the side-lines, "Did you see that?! Next stop, OLYMPUS!" He span around to face Cisco, a cocky smirk on his face, "I am so ready to get out of this hell-hole! Fight some monster, rescue some damsels… you know all that hero crap!"

There was a brief moment of silence, before Cisco nodded eagerly in agreement, "Hell yeah! Let's go!"

"Yeah!"

…..

"Central City… we're seriously going to Central City?"

"What's wrong with Central City? You trained here, this is your origin city!"

"…. And everyone already hates me."

"That'll all change! That'll all change!" Cisco then thought to himself for a few moments, "We need to think of a good hero name for you…. Quick, think of something!"

"… Mick Rory?"

"… You are actually useless."

As they headed into the main area of the city (with Mick wearing a large hoodie in order to hide his face), Mick suddenly heard something as they passed an alleyway.

Someone was swearing… someone was swearing very loudly.

"Give me a moment…" he muttered, turning away from Cisco and heading towards the swearing, "… I'll be back."

"Love the quote but disagree with you walking into a creepy alleyway!"

Mick ignored him, continuing forwards until he realised that the cursing was coming from around the corner. Peering around the corner, he frowned at the sight of a large, balding man pinning a younger man against the wall… who was the one cursing.

"What's the rush Snart?" the larger man chuckled, "I thought we would have a little fun?"

The younger man quietened down, before his right leg shot upwards, into the baldie's bollocks. However, before he could dart to a safe distance, the other man grabbed him and pinned him back against the wall.

"I like 'em fiery!"

Mick couldn't stay where he was any longer. Straightening up, he strode around the corner and caught the man's attention.

"Hey fuck-face!"

The larger man twisted around to face him, a sneer on his face. "Piss off… unless you want a turn as well?"

"You can both piss off!" the younger man growled, struggling against the bald man's grip as he glanced at Mick, "I can handle this!"

"Oh yeah…" Mick chuckled, "… you definitely don't scream damsel-in-distress."

"Fuck you! I'm no damsel, and yeah, I'm in distress but I can handle this! Now, have a nice day!"

Before Mick could say anything, the bald man suddenly lunged for him and punched him in the face… only to take a step back when Mick barely flinched at the hit, merely turning his head with the force of the strike.

"Ouch…" he muttered, before rolling his shoulder and punching the man back, sending the bald man flying into the opposite wall.

With the other man stunned, Mick turned his attention to the 'damsel', scanning him from head to toe.

He looked pissed.

"I could have handled that!"

"Yeah, flailing against the wall was really- "

Suddenly, the man pulled a knife out of his sleeve and flipped it casually in his hand, a wicked smirk on his face.

"Nice…" Mick nodded appreciatively, "… I like a guy who can handle a knife."

The other man smirked, but before he could say anything, there was a growl from the right as the bald man decided he wanted to go another round.

"Excuse me…" Mick grunted, already bracing himself, "… be right back."

Alright, his bellow was a little showier than it should have been… and if his fighting and flames were more fluent, then no-one had to know.

It wasn't as if he was showing off.

"Go on!" he heard Cisco call from the side-lines, having clearly decided to follow Mick into the alleyway, "Kick his ass!"

Needless to say, the fight didn't last long, and the larger man fell to the ground in an unconscious slump.

"How was that kid?" Mick smirked at Cisco, rolling his eyes as Cisco straightened up, clearly trying to appear stern.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…." He interrupted before Cisco could say anything, "… don't get cocky, I get it."

"Don't get distracted by some random stranger was actually what- "

Before Cisco could finish, Mick found his attention drawn to the younger man he'd just saved, who was leaning against the wall, a wicked smirk on his face.

"You alright? I notice you didn't exactly leap to my aid Mister…"

"Leonard Snart, but my friends call me Len… or at least they would if I had any friends. And I didn't think you needed any help… not with those rippling pectorals?"

"True…" Mick shrugged and grinned at Len, "… the name's Michael, but I prefer Mick."

"Not very superhero-ry is it?"

"Meh, the kid's working on that… so what did bald and ugly want?"

Len shrugged, "You know how some men are, they think no means yes and get lost means, take me I'm yours." At this, he practically fluttered his eyelashes up at Mick, clearly trying to appear more innocent that what he was.

Mick appreciated that.

"Yeah…" he grunted, moving closer, "… some men right?"

"Mick, no… come on Mick, no!" Cisco protested, "We really don't have time for that! Don't you want to be a true hero and all that?!"

"All I'm asking for, is a couple of hours kid."

At Mick's grunt, Len smirked and pushed his hips forwards a little more. "A little full of yourself, aren't you?"

"Not as full as- "

"- Mick!"

"Alright!" Mick groaned, wincing as Len raised an eyebrow at him, "Sorry… apparently I'm not allowed to have any fun."

Len chuckled, stepping away from Mick and heading towards the exit, "Shame… well, thanks for the save Mick, but I think I can handle it from here."

"You can tag along if you want… just in case someone else can't take no for an answer."

Len rolled his eyes, "I'm a big boy, can tie my own shoes and everything." Without letting Mick say another word, he started to walk away, waving a hand over his shoulder, "See you around Mick."

"…."

"… Eyes up front Mick."

Rolling his eyes at Cisco's groan, Mick raised his eyes just as Len turned the corner. "You are such a spoilsport kid… he was… he was something."

"Yeah… a distraction." Quite boldly, Cisco grabbed Mick's arm and pulled him in the other direction, "Now come on! You want to be a hero don't you?!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."


	4. Chapter 4

Hercules AU!

This is my first Disney AU for Coldwave and I hope you all like it ?

Please read, review and enjoy ?

…

Watching as Mick and his little friend walked away, Len couldn't help but smirk… and then he realised what he had to do next.

The smile falling from his face, Len turned and walked towards the shadows, barely flinching as two rats suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Don't make me start carrying rat poison around, because I will." Len crossed his arms and glared at them, "Speaking of rats, where's your owner?"

As Pain and Panic slowly morphed into their original forms, Len felt a shadowed hand grab him by the chin and turn his head to the left.

"Leo, my little thief, my little minion…" Hades sneered, "What exactly happened here?"

At Len's silence, Hades growled. "I was expecting you to recruit some men for my takeover and here you are… with no-one else in sight."

"I gave it my best shot, but most of them made me an offer I had to refuse…" Len smirked, "… You're not my pimp, so I'm not sleeping with them."

"Fine, fine, fine… instead of subtracting two years from your sentence, I'm going to add two on. Maybe that'll change your mind!"

Len rolled his eyes, "It's not like it was my fault, it was this fireball, Mick."

"Mick…" Panic started to pace, sweating slightly despite the cold surrounding them, "… why does that name ring a bell?"

Pain shrugged, "Dunno… maybe we owe him money or something?"

"Mick…" Hades hissed, shock in his voice, "… as in, short for Michael?"

"Yeah. Shot fire out of his hands, beat some creep up… nothing big."

"Wait a minute!" Pain suddenly blurted out, noticing how the shadows seemed to swirl all around them, "Wasn't Michael the name of that kid we were supposed to- "

"- SHIT!"

The pair desperately tried to get away as shadowed tendrils crept along the walls and across the ground, only for their feet to be grabbed, with Len watching on in slight alarm.

"So, you took care of him, huh!" Hades hissed as he pulled them back towards him, "Dead as a doornail, weren't those your exact words?!"

"Maybe it's a different Michael!" Panic exclaimed, "It's a very pop- UGH!"

As his friend chocked, Pain winced. "It might not be the same guy! Remember when- UGH!"

"I…" Hades began, frustration oozing out of his voice as the temperature started to rise, "… am about to rearrange the cosmos... and the one schlemiel who can louse it up... is waltzing around IN THE CITY!"

The alleyway went completely dark for a few seconds, until Hades finally managed to calm down.

"We can interrupt his waltzing!" Pain nervously spoke up, as Panic nodded frantically.

"Yeah, I mean we made him mortal… didn't we?"

There was a brief moment of silence, before Hades sighed and pulled Len, Pain and Panic closer to him. "Fortunately for you three, we have time to correct this rather egregious mistake… and this time, no foul-ups!"

…..

"How can one city, have a million different problems?" Cisco mused as they walked through the streets, "And it's not even a big city!"

"Because next to Star City, it's a criminal's wet-dream… security sucks."

"… You shouldn't know that… in fact, I'm going to pretend you didn't say that."

As they rounded a corner, a man suddenly darted out and opened up a trench-coat, revealing dozens of nice (obviously stolen) watches. "Wanna buy a- Oh…." He closed the coat, "… sorry Mick. Didn't know it was you… we all thought you were in jail for the…. Alleyway incident."

"I got a get out of jail free card…. Now beat it." Before the man could get away, Mick grabbed him by the shirt collar and growled, "And don't even think about telling anyone I was here, got it?"

The watch dealer nodded frantically, before darting away.

"… This hero thing might be a little harder than I thought…" Cisco groaned as they narrowly dodged a 'the end is near' man, "Do you always threaten people?"

"Yeah… why?"

"… Alright, we need to get you a mask of some sort. Hiding your identity might be our best chance of giving you a clean slate."

"Told you."

After purchasing a basic eye mask, the pair were back on their way, looking for a chance for Mick to show off his skills.

"CC Jitters…" Mick eventually decided, "… you wanna hear about the troubles of the city, you go there."

"… I honestly thought you'd suggest a bar or something."

"… Saints and Sinners is full of the people who cause the problems… baby steps kid, baby steps."

….

Surprisingly, Cisco's hunch was right.

As they sat in the coffee shop (with Mick wearing his hood over his head in order to hide his identity), they could hear practically everything about any problem that had happened in Central City.

Mick's fire experience… which they ignored for obvious reasons.

Earthquakes which almost took down the local bank.

A flood caused by a tidal wave… which had been conjured up by some 'Weather wizard' guy.

And don't even get these people started on the rising crime rate…. I think most of them were expecting the ten plagues of Egypt next.

"I ain't going over there…" Mick muttered, "… I've never saved a town before, or reversed a natural disaster…. This fucking town needs a professional hero, not an amateur." He got to his feet, and walked out of the door, "It's pointless."

"Dude, c'mon! How do you know if you don't try!"

Mick ignored him, storming out of the shop and around the corner, resting his back against the wall and sliding to a seated position.

"Mick…"

He glanced up at Cisco, who sat next to him.

"… you'll get your chance to prove yourself. We just need some kind of catastrophe or disaster… can you put in a good word with Zeus?"

"Oh, ha ha."

They sat in silence for a few moments, until Mick felt someone kicking at his leg.

"Hey… Mick."

Mick glanced up, brightening up slightly when he realised it was Len, who was smirking at him, ignoring how Cisco muttered "speaking of disasters."

"You want to be a goody two-shoes, right?" Len asked, kicking at Mick again, "Well, there are two kids trapped in the quarry who could use a hero…. Here's your chance to shine."

Before Mick could say anything, Cisco grabbed his arm and started to shake it, "Did you hear that Mick! This is the perfect opportunity! Children trapped in a quarry!"

"You're really cut up about this aren't you?" Len chuckled, frowning as Mick pulled a small figure out of his pocket.

"C'mon Ray…" he muttered, "… we'll get there quicker with you."

Len took a step back as the small figure grew to twice its' size, revealing it to be a heavily armoured man, who waved at Len. "Hi!"

"… And you want us to ride him?"

Chuckling at the innuendo, Mick rolled his eyes, "He can get a lot bigger, trust me. We'll sit on his back and get to the quarry quickly."

"Sounds…. Fun."

"Oh, it will be… trust me."

….

Mick was right.

They reached the quarry in record time, where a crowd was already gathering, alerted to the place by the sounds of children calling out for help.

As Len moved away, disappearing into the crowd Mick made his way over to where the children were trapped, a large boulder preventing them from leaving a small cave, with only a small gap for oxygen.

"HELP! We can't breathe!"

"HURRY! We're suffocating!"

Mick knelt near the gap, keeping his eyes on the two children. "Quit your yelling. I'll have you out in a bit."

"We can't last much longer!"

Rolling his eyes, Mick gripped the bottom of the boulder, gritting his teeth as he started to lift it into the air, eventually raising it high above his head.

"Come on, get out." He ordered the kids, as the crowd begrudgingly clapped.

"Jeepers Mister, you're really strong!" exclaimed one of the kids.

"Yeah, yeah, just be more careful next time."

"We will!"

As he threw the boulder to one side, Mick failed to notice how the kids didn't go rushing off to parents or anything… they went clambering up onto a ledge, where a shadowy figure was waiting for them.

"Stirring performance boys, I was really moved."

As they morphed back into their original forms, Panic turned to Pain and rolled his eyes, "Jeepers Mister?"

"I was going for innocence!"

Hades ignored them, turning to the young man by his side. "And hey, two thumbs way way up for the leading 'lady'. What a little seductress."

Len ignored the God, keeping his eyes on Mick, biting nervously at his bottom lip, "Get out of there you idiot, while you still can." He muttered under his breath, lowly enough not to be heard by anyone else.

Unaware of the conflict going on above him, Mick confidently strode over to Cisco and puffed out his chest. "There, one heroic duty done."

"Yeah, yeah… you're awesome, blah, blah, blah."

"Of course I'm awesome, didn't you hear the applause?"

Before Cisco could say anything in reply, there was a long, loud growl that came from the cave he'd just unblocked.

"Hate to break the news to you Mick… but I don't think that's clapping."


	5. Chapter 5

Hercules AU!

This is my first Disney AU for Coldwave and I hope you all like it ?

Please read, review and enjoy ?

…

"Hate to break the news to you Mick… but I don't think that's clapping."

Red eyes glared at them from the darkness, as it slowly emerged. It was a hideously huge creature, with leathery grey skin, sharp and yellow-stained teeth with spikes than ran up its' back and long, spindly neck.

"Cisco…" Mick began keeping his eyes on the creature as they back away, "… Tell me that's not what I think it is."

"That's a h-hydra monster!" Cisco stammered, "In Central City, what the hell?!" He turned to Mick, "Who did you piss off?!"

Before Mick could answer, the creature growled again and Cisco patted Mick on the back. "Good luck Mick!"

"W-what?!"

But Cisco was gone already.

Off in the distance, someone seemed to cry out "LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!" as the creature stepped closer.

"Shit, shit, shit…" he muttered under his breath, dancing around the creature and avoiding the sharp teeth that were determined to tear him apart, "… none of the lessons concerned Hydra kid!"

"How was I meant to know this would happen?! TO YOUR LEFT! YOUR LEFT!"

Mick dived away, wincing as the fangs skimmed him, ripping the arm of his coat.

"YOUR OTHER LEFT!"

"Shut up…" Mick grumbled under his breath, glaring at the creature as it reared back and roared. Spotting a piece of rubble, he rushed over to it and threw it at the creature, hoping to try and knock it out.

Except, it caught the rubble in its' mouth, shattering it within seconds as a rumble echoed throughout the quarry.

"This fucker is laughing at me!" Mick yelled in frustration, bracing himself as the creature lunged for him again, forcing him to grab the fangs in an attempt to save himself. With a ferocious growl, Mick used all of his strength to throw the creature's neck to one side, giving him a chance to get to a safe distance.

But it was too late.

Something wet and slimy wrapped around his left ankle and he was thrown in to the air…. And then straight back into the creatures' mouth, who swallowed him with a loud gulp.

"Shit…" Cisco muttered, "… shit, shit, shit!"

Up above, Len winced, hand moving up to his own throat as the creature suddenly noticed the crowd and roared, lunging forwards in an attempt to try and grab more people for lunch… and then it stopped, seeming to frown in confusion, glancing down at its stomach which appeared to be glowing.

Mere seconds later, the red glow intensified and the creature exploding, blood and bits of flesh flying everywhere, with bits even hitting the watching crowd.

And then Mick stepped out of the smoking remains of the creature, his clothes thankfully still in tact thanks to Cisco's careful suit design abilities.

"Fucking Jesus Christ!" he snarled, attempting to shake some of the bits off, "Disgusting fucker! Grow back from that fuck-face!"

And then he heard the clapping, quickly rising in volume and intensity as the crowd started to make their way down into the quarry, whooping and cheering and lifting Mick onto their shoulders, carrying him out.

Catching Cisco's eyes, Mick smirked, "I could get use to this!"

"I can't believe you did it!" Cisco whooped, "You lunatic! I can't believe you actually did it!"

As the crowd cheered and called out Mick's name in glee, Len couldn't help but smirk from his vantage point, quietly clapping even as Hades ranted and raged behind him.

"Way to go fireball."

….

From then on, it seemed as though Mick could do no wrong.

He was hot… steam looked cool as his new superhero name was front page news on every news channel.

Heatwave.

His days were full of signing autographs or fighting monsters (the giant boar was a nice surprise…. Who knew roasted boar tasted so good?)

Girls seemed to flock towards him, as did the money.

From appearance fees and reward money, this was the first time in Mick's life that he could honestly say that he had cash to burn… legitimate cash as well.

The statue in the centre of Central City was a nice touch, as were all the action figures they brought out, lining the shelves in every store in the city.

But the monsters… the monsters were the greatest thing about this hero gig. Like when the giant lion attacked…. That made a very nice rug.

He wanted to keep the bird thing as a pet, but Cisco said no (spoilsport).

The weird fish thing was the best thing he'd ever tasted, next to the roast boar.

The gorgon sisters…. They were weird. … having a blindfold for sex wasn't the kinkiest thing he'd done though.

("I can't believe you slept with them?!"

"They didn't really want to take over the city… why shouldn't I have slept with them?"

"Did the whole 'turning men to stone' thing not turn you off?!"

"Not even slightly.")

The multiple plays from the local schools were sweet, as were the branded shoes and drink that they brought out.

("Heatwave! The only drink that can combat summer!")

The months passed, and Mick got used to being a hero.

Stopping a volcano was a stitch (although Mick would have been quite happy to watch it for a little bit more… it was so enchanting).

And now, he was having his handprint's immortalised on the pavement outside the Central City Town Hall.

Life was good.

….

Life was not good.

High above the Town Hall, shadows writhed and grew as Hades growled at the event he was watching.

"I can't believe this guy!" Hades growled, "I throw everything I got at him and it doesn't even- "

And then he heard the squeaking, glancing down at Pain's feet.

His minion was wearing Heatwave shoes.

"What. Are. Those?!"

Pain visibly panicked, but tried to play it cool anyway, "Ummm… I think they look kind of… dashing?"

It was the wrong answer.

"I've got twenty-four hours to get rid of this… Heatwave, before the entire scheme I've been setting up for eighteen years, goes up in smoke…. AND YOU, ARE WEARING, HIS MERCHANDISE!"

Shadows swirled all around Pain, seconds away from choking him… and then Hades heard the slurping.

The shadows shrunk back as Hades turned his attention to the side, focusing on Panic… who was drinking a Heatwave drink… and knew that he was doing something wrong.

"Ummmm…. Thirsty?"

"…. AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"

Down on the ground, Mick frowned at the sound of the angry screams, before shrugging it off and listening to the mayor, who going through another speech about 'justice' and 'responsibility'.

Yawn.

Up top, Pain and Panic peeled themselves away from the wall, bruises appearing all over their body as the shadows melted away, leaving a supremely pissed off Hades standing there.

Clearly amused by the anger and frustration being felt by the God, Len pushed himself to his feet and smirked, "Looks like your game's up, Fire Ball's hitting every curveball you're throwing at him."

As Len made his way over to the edge of the balcony, he could feel Hades watching him…. And then he heard the God chuckle.

"Maybe… maybe I'm not throwing the right kind of curves at him."

Len rolled his eyes at this, twisting around and glaring at the older man. "Don't even go there."

"Look, he's got to have a weakness, because everyone has a weakness! For Pandora, it was the whole box thing, and for the Trojans, well they bet on the wrong horse eh? We just need to find out what this weakness is!"

"Well I'm not doing it! Get your imps to do it!"

Pain and Panic huddled back at this frantically shaking their heads, and only sighing in relief when Hades shook his head.

"They couldn't handle it, I need someone who can… handle him as a man."

Once again, Len found himself rolling his eyes. "Sorry, I think I'm allergic to handling men."

"… I know what you did before I dragged you out of jail…. You've done a lot of man-handling in the past. And when your soul is mine, you'll do whatever I want."

Len simply rose an eyebrow at him, causing Hades to sigh.

"Alright, here's my ultimatum… if you give me the key to bringing down Heatwave, then I will give you want you desire most in the whole cosmos…. Your. Freedom."

Hades didn't even bother to hide his smirk as the young man inhaled sharply at the thought.

Hook. Line. Sinker.

….

"I hope you were watching old man!" Mick whooped, staring up at the living statue of Hephaestus, as Ray tensed for a battle re-enactment, "I've been wrestling with minotaurs! Grappling with gorgons… in the fun way of course. Being a hero is a stitch! Analyse the situation, gather up my strength and BAM!"

Ray pretended as though Mick had hit him, falling to the ground as Mick chortled in glee.

"The crowd went wild!"

Hephaestus was clearly thrilled with this, clapping as Mick raised his hands into the air. "You're doing great son, you're making me proud! All the Gods are watching you!"

"Glad to hear you say that Pops… I've waited for this day for ages."

"Hmmm… what day is that?"

Inwardly, Hephaestus was clearly panicking… was it a birthday or something?

"The day I become a God… duh?"

Hephaestus winced at this, "You've done wonderfully, you really have son… you're just not quite there yet, you've not proven yourself a true hero yet."

Feeling his skin heat up in anger, Mick fought to calm down. "I've beaten every fucking monster I've come across! I'm the most famous man in Central City, maybe America! I-I-I- I'm a fucking action figure!"

"Being famous isn't the same as being a true hero my son."

"Well… what more do you want me to do?"

"That's something you'll just have to discover for yourself."

"But how can I- "

"- Look inside yourself. You'll find it."

Without giving Mick a chance to say anything more, the statue moved back into position, there was a flash of light… and Hephaestus was a statue once more.

This was too much for Mick.

The heat inside him grew to an unbearable height and he slammed his fists against the tiled floor, flames shooting out in every direction as he screamed out his frustrations.

Once all the flames had died down, Mick felt completely and utterly drained, barely even flinching as Ray placed a gentle hand on the hero's shoulder. "Mick? I'm sorry… is there anything I can- "

"- No." Mick pushed himself to his feet and glared at the statue, "Let's just get out of here… I don't need him. I've never needed him."


	6. Chapter 6

Hercules AU!

This is my first Disney AU for Coldwave and I hope you all like it ?

Please read, review and enjoy ?

…

"On the left is the Heatwave museum, where the gift shop offers all Heatwave merchandise, including the new action figure with voice lines, can be activated with the push of a button."

Cisco rolled his eyes as the tour bus stopped outside…. Sometimes he regretted accepting the flat above the museum.

"Alright, number one, you have a meeting with the Mayor who ha a problem with his stables… why is that even our concern? Don't wear those new boots I built you anyway, they are not designed for walking in shit…."

"… Kid."

"I told you, don't move!" the artist, who was painting Mick's portrait, snarled angrily, gesturing for Mick to get back into position.

"At two, you've got a photo-shoot with Angelia Jolie, you lucky bastard!"

"Kid! WHAT'S. THE. POINT?"

Flames shot out, with one going straight through the artist's canvas, causing the man to scream in frustration and throw the partially finished painting to the floor.

"THAT'S IT!"

Cisco winced, stepping in front of the artist to try and stop him, only for the paints to be thrown in his face and for him to be pushed to one side. Choosing to take the high road, Cisco ignored the man and turned to Mick in confusion.

"What do you mean, what's the point? You want to be with you Dad and everything, don't you?"

Wearily, Mick removed his t-shirt and threw it at Cisco, encouraging the kid to wipe his face clean, before leaning against the wall and sliding to the floor. "Yeah, but this shit ain't getting me anywhere kid."

"You can't give up now! People are counting on you!"

"I've already given it all that I have kid!"

Mick sounded so defeated, so unlike himself and Cisco (whilst still being a little bit scared of him) felt an urge to comfort the older man. "Mick… listen. You know I'm a little bit… obsessed with superheroes… and you've got something I've never seen before."

"… Yeah?"

"I swear on my Mama's life…. There is nothing you can't do!"

Before Mick could say anything else, the door to the apartment slammed open and a gaggle of screaming girls raced into the room, their hands roaming all over Mick as they squealed in delight.

"Cisco…" Mick grunted, trying to pry their hands away, "… a little bit of help?"

"I thought you liked their attention?"

"Not like this!"

"… Escape plan B?"

"Escape plan B."

Throwing down a smoke pellet, Cisco raced towards the door whistling as the girls seemed to realize that Mick was no longer in their grasp.

"He's out here ladies! Racing towards the park!"

The girls all squealed, racing in that direction as they blindly trusted what Cisco was saying… taking a protesting Cisco with them. As soon as they left, the door slowly closed, and Len stepped out of the corner he was hiding in.

Slowly, he moved through the apartment, gazing around in amazement at all the finery and technology.

And then he spotted boots peeking out from behind red, velvet curtains.

"Hmmmm…. Well, let's see what's behind door number one!" He pulled on the chord and the curtains moved to one side to reveal a sheepish looking Mick.

"Oh, haha Lenny…" he muttered, "… they all gone?"

Len actually laughed at this, a big beam on his face as he shook his head fondly. "Don't worry, the sea of raging hormones has ebbed."

"Finally!" Mick stepped down from the curtains and smirked as Len turned his back on him, "It's good to see you, you know Lenny… I missed watching you walk away."

"Hmmm, so this is what heroes do on their day off?"

"I'm not a fucking hero."

Ignoring the tension in the older man's voice, Len shrugged, "Sure you are. Most of Central City thinks you're the best thing since the Flash."

"The Flash?"

"A speedy bastard… no-one ever really saw him."

"Huh…" Mick shook his head, "… Lucky bastard. I can't fucking do anything without being mobbed."

"Ugh, you sound like you need a break… think your babysitter would go berserk if you played hooky this afternoon?"

Smirking, Mick stepped forwards, chuckling as Len leaned against the walk. "You gonna make it worth my while?"

"Of course… we'll slip out of the window, go around that hideous statue of you, you blast out the back wall and we're gone. Then we can really have some fun."

"Lead the way."

….

"I don't I've ever met someone who wasn't a gymnast or something, do what you did with your legs…" Mick chuckled hours later, as they decided to make their way to a quieter place (almost being caught in an alleyway in the middle of Round three was a bit of a mood killer… though not by much), "… Strippers would be jealous of you."

"Hmm, flattery will get you everywhere… although possibly not another round."

"Spoilsport."

As they wandered into the middle of Central City Park, Len watched Mick fondly, smirking as the older man continued to chatter about the day… and try and angle for another round.

And then he heard the birds beside him.

"Stop fooling around!" Panic hissed.

"Get the goods!" Pain growled before they both started to look innocent as Mick turned back around.

"You know…" he started, "… I forgot how much fun it was to play hooky. Mind you, my teen years were never like that."

"Ha… lucky you."

"… Thanks, Lenny."

Len winced at this, turning slightly away from Mick, "Yeah… don't thank me just yet." Taking a deep breath, he then forced a cry through his throat, falling forwards and hoping that Mick caught him in time.

Thankfully, he did.

"Are you alright?"

Len smirked, "Yeah, you must have left me with weak knees."

"Well, we'd better sit down then…" Mick chuckled, "… it being my fault and everything."

As they settled on a stone bench near a fountain, Len leaned over and nudged Mick in the side. "So… do you ever have problems like that?"

"Do I make myself weak in the knees?"

"You know what I mean!"

Mick laughed, dodging as Len lashed out at him. "Weakness? Nope, not me."

"None at all?" Len shuffled closer, "No trick knee? No slipped discs?"

"Nope. Fit as a fiddle."

As Mick turned away, Len rolled his eyes. "Fireball, you really are perfect."

"Yep. Practically perfect in every way."

Unable to stop himself from laughing at that, Len leaned back against the bench, turning to face Mick… who was suddenly a lot closer than Len expected.

The air felt electric between them.

Yes, they had had passionate moments between them earlier… but nothing like this. This was something else entirely.

Up above them, a shooting star flew through the sky, breaking the spell between them as they pulled away from one another.

"You know…" Mick cleared his throat, "… when I was a kid, I would have given anything to be like everyone else."

"You wanted to be petty and dishonest."

"As much as I hate to admit it, not everybody is like that."

"…. Yes, they are."

Mick frowned at this, watching as Len pulled away from him and turned his face to one side, as though trying to hide his expression. "You're not like that."

"Oh, how do you know what I'm like?!"

"Look, all I know is that you are the most amazing… the most flexible person I've ever met."

Len couldn't help but smile at that, carefully backing away from Mick, only to hiss when he backed into a small statue… a small statue of a Cupid.

He just got stabbed by a Cupid's arrow.

Great.

"Lenny…" Mick continued, his voice uncharacteristically soft, "… when I'm with you, I don't feel so alone… I can't explain it."

"Sometimes it's better to be alone Mick."

"What do you mean?"

"… Nobody can hurt you."

Mick was silent for a few moments before he slowly reached over and gently grabbed Len's hands. "Lenny, I would never… ever… hurt you."

"And I don't want to hurt you, so let's do ourselves a favor and stop this… before…" Mick's face was getting closer and that same tension that was between them was building up once again.

Seconds before their lips connected, there was a bright light as Cisco's voice echoed throughout the park.

"Break it up! Break it up! Party's over!" Cisco stormed forwards, Ray close behind up, "We've been looking all over this town for you!"

"Oh, calm down!" Len groaned, pulling himself away, "I was just taking him out for a little bit of stress relief."

"Oh, I didn't need to know that!" Cisco grimaced, before turning his attention to Mick, "And you! You're going to the lab and you're being put through the workout of your life!"

"I've already had a workout today."

At Mick's smug look, Cisco grimaced again. "Again! Didn't need to know that!"

Cisco continued to rant, giving Mick a chance to turn back to Len and shrug. "Sorry 'bout this…" he reached up and grabbed a branch, picking a flower from it and handing it to Len, "… Hopefully, he'll get over it soon."

When Len took the flower from him, Mick seized his opportunity, leaning over and kissing the other man on the cheek.

"Come on Mick!" Cisco groaned, "Get on Ray and let's get going… you're having a shower when you get back, you smell like one of the hookers on 5th street!"

"Harsh brat, harsh."

Mick hopped onto Ray's back backward, still focused on Len, even as Ray flew away.

"Mick, pay attention! Mick, keep your eyes on the front, you never know when there's going to be a low hanging branch or- UGH!"

Low-hanging branch… just like he predicted.

"That's it….Next time… I driveeeeeeee."

…..

Len hated this…. This feeling of weakness, of lo-

-No! Don't go there.

"What's the matter with me…" he grunted, fingernails stabbing into the stem of the flower, "… You know what this does to people. Bruised and broken at the bottom of the stairs."

Focusing on the flower, his thoughts turned to memories of his childhood… his mother crying and trying to shield him from an unseen figure.

The shouting.

The pain of broken bottles being smashed against his head.

The slam of the door as the unseen figure left the house, the broken body of his mother left behind him.

But Mick wasn't like that… was he?

Len quickly turned his thoughts away from that, shaking his head as he walked through the gardens.

It was too cliché… falling for the man who'd saved him from a tough situation.

Mick would change, same as the rest of them… as soon as Len felt comfortable with him, he would change.

That didn't stop him from smiling when he saw the statue of Mick they'd set up in the center of the park.

Maybe Mick was different.

"Alright…" he whispered to himself, the flower still in his hands, "… maybe I love him… a little bit."

"Well… isn't that interesting?"


	7. Chapter 7

Hercules AU!

This is my first Disney AU for Coldwave and I hope you all like it ?

Please read, review and enjoy ?

…

"Well… isn't that interesting?"

Len resisted the urge to gasp as he spun around, glaring as the shadowy figure of Hades stepped out of the darkness and tilted his head to one side.

"Come on then Lenny… what's the weak link in Heatwave's chain?"

Overwhelmed by anger, Len clenched his fists and stepped forwards. "You know what… get yourself someone else to do your dirty work. I'm through!"

"… I beg your pardon." Hades stepped closer, "I must have a little bit of brimstone caught in my ear, because I could have sworn you said- "

"- Then read my lips! For-get it!"

"Lenny!"

Before Len could storm away, the shadowy figure suddenly appeared in front of him and gripped his arm, "Lenny… aren't we forgetting a teensy-wincey, ever so crucial, little tiny detail? I OWN YOU!"

…

"Ah…" Cisco groaned as he slowly came to, "… shit, that hurt…. He's going to be doing laps for a month for this!"

"… if I say sing, you say name that tune."

Cisco frowned at the unfamiliar voice, peeking his head around the corner and frowning at the sight of Len talking to an unfamiliar man… who seemed to be completely made of shadows.

"If I say I want Fireball's head on a platter, you say…"

"… Medium or well-done." Len sighed.

Cisco knew his face had gone pale as he darted back, "I knew he was trouble…" he whispered frantically, "… this is gonna break Mick."

Without hearing the rest of the conversation, he raced off, heading back towards Star Labs.

…..

"You hear that?" Hades whispered, "That's the sound of your freedom, fluttering out of the window… forever."

Batting away the shadowy butterflies, Len rolled his eyes. "I don't care. I'm not going to help you hurt him."

As he turned his back on the God, he heard Hades sigh wearily. "I can't believe you're getting so worked up over some guy? I thought I taught you better."

"Well… Mick is different!"

"Oh please!"

"He would never do anything to hurt me."

"You're so naïve!"

"Besides oh mighty one…" Len smirked, twirling the flower in his hands, "… he has no weaknesses, you can't beat him! He's going to- "He stopped as he turned around, flinching as he realised the shadowy figure was much closer than what he expected.

"I think he does Lenny…" Hades hissed, the smirk clear in his voice, even if it wasn't clear on his face, "… I truly think he does."

He plucked the flower from Len's hands, and at his simple touch, the flower withered and died.

The meaning was clear.

…..

Cisco didn't know how long he stood there, watching Mick race around the training course in glee, firing fireball after fireball and smashing through targets, all with a beaming smile on his face.

He almost didn't want to tell him.

"Hey kid!" Mick finally spotted him, a grin on his face, "Where did you go?"

"Ummmm, I think we need to talk."

Mick didn't seem to be listening to him, the grin still on his face. "Kid, I've just had the best day of my life, don't ruin it with a lecture… You know, I never considered marriage before him."

"Mick, I'm trying to speak to you! Won't you calm down and listen!"

"Calm down? How can I calm down when I'm feeling so up?!"

As Mick and Cisco continued to bicker, Ray nibbled on his sandwich… until he heard someone wolf whistling behind him.

Mick and Cisco didn't react.

Slowly turning around, his eyes widened at the sight of two gorgeous people standing in the entrance to the training area. Once was a dark-skinned woman with bronze wings fluttering behind her. The other was male… not that it bothered Ray, but he had an eager grin on his face that instantly attracted Ray to him.

Slowly, Ray pushed himself to his feet and walked over, almost in a daze as the other two started to back away, heading into a separate room away from the training room. However, as soon as the door shut behind him, the pairs' faces twisted horribly as they morphed into new forms.

"What the- "

"GOTCHA!"

….

"That's all well and good!" Cisco groaned, "But I really need to talk to you!"

Mick grinned and sauntered over, "And if it wasn't for you kid, I never would have met him!"

"Mick- "

"- I owe you big time for this kid!"

"Mick, you need to- "

"- And just think, for ages, I was calling you names in my mind!"

"What?" Cisco shook his head, "No, just listen. Len's- "

"- a dream come true?"

"Not exactly, he's- "

"- more handsome than Apollo?"

"Oh, that's blasphemy! No, he's- "

"- the most wonderful- "

"- HE'S A FRAUD!"

Mick stopped in his tracks at Cisco's almost scream, stunned as Cisco continued.

"He's been playing with you since day one!"

"… Come on kid, that's not funny."

"I'm not joking!"

"Look, I know you're upset about today, but you can't fucking just- "

"- you're not getting the point Mick!"

"The point is, I think I might actually love him!"

"He doesn't love you!"

"You're just jealous!"

"He's nothing but a two-timing- "

"- Shut up- "

"- no good, lying, scheming- "

"- SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

At Mick's sudden explosion of anger, flames shot out from his hands, narrowly missing Cisco, who dived to the side just in time.

Mick had aimed at him.

Mick had actually aimed at him.

"Kid…" Mick whispered, suddenly realising what he'd done, "… Kid, I'm sorry."

"Alright…" Cisco pushed himself to his feet and turned away from Mick, "… you don't want to listen to the truth? Fine!"

"Cisco come on! Where are you going?"

"Home… Star labs is yours."

Mick was confused for a time, before he realised just what Cisco was saying… the kid wasn't coming back.

"Alright, fine!" he yelled after the retreating man, "Go! I don't fucking need you anyway!"

As he turned his attention back to training, he failed to hear Cisco's last words.

"I thought you were going to be the all-time champ… not the all-time chump."

As the door slammed shut, an unfamiliar voice suddenly spoke from the shadows.

"Jesus… someone needs to remove the stick from his ass."

Spinning around, Mick watched as a shadowy figure stepped out of the corner and started to walk towards him.

"The name's Hades, Lord of the Dead, how are you doing?"

"Piss off." Mick turned away, only to take a step back when Hades reappeared in front of him.

"This won't take long kid, only a few seconds, and I'm a fast talker. You see, I've got this major deal in the works, call it a real-estate venture if you will. And Michael, can I call you Mick, you are always in the way."

"Piss off ghost."

As Mick tried to leave the scene, he was suddenly grabbed and twisted around, causing him to stare directly into glowing red eyes.

"WHY YOU- "the glow disappeared, and Hades audibly took a breath, "… hear me out, okay? I would be eternally grateful if you would just… take the day off from this hero business of yours? Chasing all those monsters and sleeping with the ones you don't chase, you must be exhausted! You've earned a break!"

"You're out of your fucking mind…" Mick pulled away from Hades and tried to walk away again, growling when he was grabbed again.

"Before you walk away, I have a little bit of leverage you might want to know about."

Hades clicked his fingers and Len appeared out of nowhere, fresh bruises on his face.

"Lenny!"

"Mick! Don't listen- "He was gagged as chains wrapped around his entire body, falling to the floor and disappearing before Mick could get to him.

"LET HIM GO!" Mick growled, sending a fireball at Hades, and growling when it went straight through the God.

"Here's the deal…" Hades acted as though Mick had never done anything, "… you give up your powers for twenty-four hours, let's say, the next twenty-four hours…" He clicked his fingers again and a gagged Len appeared somewhere else, "… And Lenny will be free. You'll kiss, dance, bend him over a nearby bench and have a wonderful night… how about it?"

Mick glanced at Len, before turning his attention back to Hades. "You're going to hurt people, ain'cha?"

"Nah…. Well you know, it's a possibility, these things happen, war and all…. But what do you owe these people anyway?!" Hades drifted over to Len, gripping his face tightly and forcing him to look at Mick, "Isn't Lenny, your precious little Lenny, isn't he more important than those bastards?!"

"FUCK OFF!"

"ISN'T HE?!"

Mick was silent for a short period of time, before shaking his head and growling in frustration. "You've got to swear that he'll be safe from any harm!"

"Fine, fine, fine…" If Hades had eyes, he would probably be rolling them, "… I'll give you that one. Len will be safe, and if he does get hurt in the next twenty-four hours, then all your powers will be returned to you. Yada, yada, yada, how about we shake on it?"

Mick hesitated.

"Look…" Hades snarled, "… I really don't have time for you to start growing a conscious, on a bit of schedule here and everything, so I need an answer NOW! Going once…"

Mick glanced at Len, who shook his head frantically.

"… Going twice…"

"Alright!" Mick finally gave in, holding out his hands as Hades whooped in glee.

"Yes! We're in business!"

Hades clasped Mick's hand tight, smirking as a bright light filled the air and Mick started to fall to his knees.

Mick meanwhile, felt like his very life was being sucked from his body, his bones seeming to turn to jelly as he collapsed to the ground weakly.

As he tried to get to his feet, Mick growled as his knees wobbled dangerously under him, Hades sniggering to the side of him.

"You may feel a little queasy, it's perfectly natural… "The God lifted one of Mick's heaviest weights into the air, "… maybe you should SIT DOWN!"

He flung the weights at Mick, chuckled as they propelled the ex-demi-God to the ground, preventing him from getting to his feet. He strained and pushed at the weights, desperately trying to dislodge them as Hades strode closer.

"There you go fire ball…" the God sneered, "… now you're just like everybody else. Isn't it just peachy?" There was a pause, before Hades chuckled menacingly, "Oh, you're going to love this, one moment…." He got to his feet and turned his attention to the imprisoned Len, "… Lenny, a deal's a deal. You're off the hook."

With a snap of his fingers, the chains around Len disappeared as Mick slowly wriggled free of the weights.

"What do you think Mick…" Hades chuckled, pulling Len closer and twirling him around, "… is he not the best actor you've ever seen?"

"Piss off!"

Mick frowned, watching as Len tried to pull himself free…. Something was wrong.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"I mean, your little sex slave was working for me the whole time… duh!"

Len looked devastated at Hades's statement… almost guilty… but Mick didn't want to believe it…. He couldn't believe it.

"You're lying…" he snarled, "… why would Lenny ever work for you?!"

There was a brief moment of silence, before the shadowed figure pulled away from Len and held out his arms, his form shimmering before it settled on a shorter, slightly overweight man, with thinning, grey hair.

"What boy wouldn't help his Father out when he could?"


	8. Chapter 8

Hercules AU!

This is my first Disney AU for Coldwave and I hope you all like it ?

Please read, review and enjoy ?

…

"What boy wouldn't help his Father out when he could?"

Len stared at the man in shock, taking several steps back as he shook his head in denial. "No… you can't be!" He whispered, before turning his attention to Mick, who looked like he'd come to a sudden realisation, "Mick, please… I didn't realise he was… I didn't know!"

"It all makes sense now…." Mick turned away from Len as Hades cackled in glee, "… I knew it was too good to be true."

"Mick- "

"- FUCK OFF!"

Len winced at the volume of Mick's voice, taking a step back as the other man turned away from him.

"How awkward…" Hades muttered, morphing back into his shadowy form, "… well, I gotta go junior. There's a whole cosmos waiting for me up there, with my name on it!"

He disappeared with a pop, but not without one final statement. "Good bye to the preliminaries and off to the main event!"

After the God disappeared, both Len and Mick dropped to their knees in unison.

It was over… it was all over.

….

Up in the sky, the planets all aligned, sending a burst of cosmic energy straight down to the earth, causing a large whirlpool in the ocean.

Hades peeked over the edge of his chariot, peering into the void left by the energy to see bars made of lightning and eyes peering through them, roars and shrieks echoing throughout the area.

"BROTHERS!" He called down, "TITANS! LOOK AT YOU IN YOUR PRISON! WHO PUT YOU DOWN THERE?!"

"ZEUS!"

Pain and Panic yelped in fear at the deep, rumbling voices from down below, hiding in the chariot as they trembled.

"AND NOW THAT I SET YOU FREE…" Shadowy tendrils shot down, prying the lightning bars apart, "… WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU ARE GOING TO DO?!"

"DESTROY HIM!"

"… Good answer."

One by one, the Titans emerged from their prison.

One made of rocks and boulders, "CRUSH HIM!"

One made if snow and ice, "FREEZE HIM!"

One made of molten lava, "MELT… ZEUS!"

And finally, one that was a giant tornado, "BLOW… HIM…. AWAY!"

As the Titans slowly moved towards the city, destroying everything in their path, Hades face-palmed in despair.

"Guys!"

They all turned to face him, as he gestured in the opposite direction they were going.

"Olympus, would be that way?"

"… ZEUS!" "FREEZE HIM!"

As the Titans headed in the right direction, Hades caught sight of the cyclops trailing on behind. "Hold it one-eye!" he called out, catching the creature's attention, "I've got a special job for you my optically-challenged friend!"

…..

Barry groaned at the loud rumbling that seemed to echo throughout Olympus, slowly rubbing his eyes and glancing down.

"ZEUS!" "DESTORY HIM!"

"Oh, that is not good!" Barry exclaimed in alarm, leaping to his feet in complete panic, "We're in trouble! Complete and utter trouble!"

He raced up to where Zeus and Hera were having their evening meal.

"Sorry, but we have a problem!" he announced, "The Titans have escaped, and they're practically at our front gates!"

"SOUND THE ALARM!" Zeus bellowed, "LAUNCH AN IMMEDIATE COUNTER-ATTACK! GO! GO!"

"Gone man!"

One of the first people he went to see, was Hephaestus, who immediately set about constructing the lightning bolts needed for Zeus's attack, finishing them just as the rest of the God's went on the attack.

"Thank you Hephaestus!" Zeus yelled, before throwing a bolt down and shattering a part of the Earthquake Titan.

Unfortunately, his glee was short-lived as the Tornado Titan started to suck some of the Gods into it's arms, chariots, winged horses and all.

And they were all unaware of Hades laughing in the distance.

…

Meanwhile, back in Central City;

"MICHAEL! WHERE ARE YOU?"

The cyclops knocked into buildings and smashed tribute statues in its fury.

"MICHAEL! COME OUT AND PLAY!"

Back at Star Labs, Mick watched the figure towering above the buildings, bellowing his name in anger. When he started to make his way weakly towards the city, Len suddenly darted in front of him, a glare on the younger man's face.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Len growled at him, "Without your strength and your powers, you'll be killed!"

"… I've had worse."

Mick shouldered past him, his words implying everything.

"Mick, no! Stop!"

When Mick got closer and closer, the scared people started to cheer at the sight of him, grabbing the cyclop's attention.

"SO, YOU MIGHTY MICHAEL?!" The cyclops crouched down and sneered at Mick, before backhanding him away with a loud "HA!"

Mick went flying, propelled straight into a billboard as the crowd below went silent in shock and Len winced.

He had to do something… and then he heard a small clanking sound coming from a nearby room.

Racing towards the room, he flung open the door and instantly spotted the glass jar sitting on the table, a tiny figure slamming against the glass.

"Alright, alright…" he muttered, picking up the jar, "… listen to me, Mick is in trouble and he needs our help. We need to find Cisco, he's the only one who can talk some sense into him!"

Without waiting for an answer, he dropped the jar to the ground, watching as the glass shattered and Ray got bigger and bigger.

Within the next second, Ray had lifted Len onto his back and shot off into the sky, his systems already tracking the last known location of Cisco's phone.

…..

The Titans were getting higher and higher, closer and closer to the gates of Olympus.

"GET BACK! I COMMAND YOU!" Zeus ordered, throwing another bolt at the Earthquake Titan… but I had no effect. With a mighty grunt, a boulder was thrown at the golden gates and they crumpled, falling to the ground and allowing the rest of the Titans accessed.

"ZEUS!"

….

Cisco tried to tune out the sounds of the TV downstairs…. His family was watching the news report on the chaos in the centre of the city, and Cisco wanted nothing to do with it.

He wasn't going to watch Mick's latest triumph.

And then there was a tapping at his window.

"Cisco! Cisco!"

Frowning at the voice, Cisco headed to the window, throwing back the curtains and glaring at the pair outside… he was sort of glad his bedroom was at the back of the house.

"What do you want?" he asked Len rudely.

"Mick needs your help!"

"Why does he need me, when he's got friends like you?!"

"He won't listen to me!"

"Good! He's finally learnt something!"

Before Cisco could close the curtains again, Ray gave him a disappointed look…. It was like Cisco's kryptonite.

"Look!" Len growled, "I know what I did was wrong, and I'm fucking kicking myself for it, trust me! But it's not about me, it's about him! If you don't help him now, he'll die!"

…

"I NEED MORE THUNDERBOLTS!"

Barry shook his head in desperation, knowing that he'd just watched Hephaestus and Aphrodite being dragged away. "Hephaestus has been captured! Everyone's been captured!"

Someone grabbed his arms.

"I've been captured!"

As he watched Barry being pulled away, Zeus spun around, only to come face to face with the Volcano Titan, who spewed lava all over him, with the Frozen Titan freezing it as it got harder and harder to get out of.

"Zeusy! I'm home!"

Zeus glanced up to his right in shock before he came to a sudden realisation. "Hades! YOU'RE BEHIND THIS!"

"You are correct Sir!"

…..

Mick grunted and groaned in face as the cyclops treated him like a damn football, kicking him up into the air… and then flicking him into a nearby building.

Which of course, was hilarious to the cyclops.

"Mick!" he heard a familiar voice from above, causing him to glance up and sigh in relief… and a little bit of guilt.

"Cisco? Kid?"

"Mick!" Cisco leapt off of Ray and rushed over, closely followed by Len and Ray, "Come on Mick, fight back! You can take him, look at him, he's a pushover, barely two brain cells to rub together!"

"Y-you were right all along kid…" Mick muttered, sending a glare towards Len, "… dreams are for fools."

"No, no, no!" Cisco exclaimed, "I was wrong Mick! Giving up is for fools! I came back because, and forgive the Brokeback mountain reference here, because I'm not quitting on you. I'm willing to go the distance, are you?"

Before Mick could answer, footsteps caused the ground to quiver violently underneath them as a giant hand reached down and lifted him into the air, until he was eye to eye with the cyclops.

"ME, BITE OFF HEAD!"

Thinking quickly, Mick lashed out with both fists, punching the cyclops in the eye, causing it to cry out in pain and drop Mick. Thankfully, he landed on an awning which stopped his fall, as he rolled off onto the pavement… just outside a DIY store.

Thinking quickly, Mick grabbed some rope from the abandoned store and running around the cyclops's legs, wrapping the rope tightly around them before pulling it taunt.

With a desperate cry of fear, the cyclops toppled to the ground, it's skull striking the corner of a nearby building, blood oozing from the large gash as it slipped into unconsciousness.

It was over.

The adrenaline leaving his body in a rush, Mick, fell to his knees unaware that he was still in danger.

"MICK!"


	9. Chapter 9

Hercules AU!

This is my first Disney AU for Coldwave and I hope you all like it ?

Please read, review and enjoy ?

…

"MICK! MICK, LOOK OUT!"

There was a rumbling from above, before Mick felt someone shove push at him violently, sending him rolling along the floor just as someone hit the space where he once was.

Spinning around, Mick felt the air leave his body as he spotted a familiar hand sticking out from under a pile of rubble.

"LENNY! NO!" he screamed in desperation, rushing over and removing as many bricks and boulders as he could, until he got to one that was about ten times his own weight.

"Come on…" he muttered to himself, "… come on!"

Suddenly, it felt like his skin was knitting back together, the aches and pains disappearing as he managed to lift the boulder high above his head, gasping in relief.

"What the fuck just happened?"

Len smiled weakly up at him, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth… and a pipe sticking out of his mid-section. "Daddy dearest made a promise remember… if I got hurt, all your powers would be returned to you."

"Lenny…" Mick threw the rubble to one side and rushed over, gently lifting Len's head onto his lap, as he tried to avoid nudging the pipe, "… you planned this?"

"Of course…" Another smirk, "… M-Make the plan, execute the p-plan, expect t-t-the plan to go off the r-r-rails, throw away the p-plan."

"Why?! W-why would you- "

"- People d-do crazy t-things, when t-they're in l-love." Before Mick could say anything, Len spoke up again, "Y-You don't have m-much time, y-you c-can still stop H-Hades!"

Cisco then moved to sit by him, giving Mick a reassuring smile. "I'll look after him Mick… I promise."

They both knew it was a promise to be there for Len when he did go… but neither of them were willing to say that out loud.

"You're going to be alright Lenny…" Mick whispered, almost desperately, "… Promise me?"

Len simply stared up at him, a soft smile on his face… he couldn't promise anything.

Not wanting to hear any false promises, Mick rushed over to Ray and ordered him to fly to Olympus.

Hades needed to be stopped.

…..

"Are you alright my love?" Hephaestus whispered, as he and his wife were chained together, and dragged along with the other Gods.

"Yes… I-I think so. Better than Zeus anyway."

The King of the Gods was being encased in rock, glaring up at his brother, who was clearly enjoying the entire event. "I swear to you Hades, when I get out of this I- "

He was stopped in his tracks as the rock encased him fully, meaning he was unable to see Hades conjuring up a throne of his own, "I'm the one giving the orders now bolt boy…" he chuckled, conjuring a beer out of thin air, "… and I think I'm going to like it here."

Suddenly, a fireball came out of nowhere, smashing the glass and causing the shadows of Hades's arms to disintegrate.

"Don't get too comfortable Hades!"

Hades spun around and swore violently at the sight of Mick and Ray flying straight towards him.

"Michael!" Aphrodite cried out in glee, watching as her son fired several more, carefully aimed fireballs at the chains that held all the Gods together.

"This oughta even the odds!"

When he realised that all the Gods, aside from Zeus, were now free, Hades screamed in anger and frustration.

"Yes!" Barry cheered, grabbing Pain and Panic and throwing them into the distance, "Go Mick!"

"GET THEM!" Hades ordered the Titans, watching as the Lava Titan went on the attack…. spewing lava all over the Lord of the Underworld as he went. "No! Not me, them!"

It was the Ice Titans' turn, his ice breath freezing Hades solid as it attempted to freeze Mick in mid-air.

"Follow the finger! T-T-t-t-the b-b-b-bastard w-w-with t-the h-h-horse!"

Neither attack bothered Mick. Lava? That was his element and he merely whooped in delight as a delicious warmth swept through his body.

And the ice? Well, that was just laughable.

Within seconds, he made his way over to where Zeus was being held, and ripped the frozen rock away from the God, bright light shining through until an explosion sent the pieces flying everywhere.

"Excellent work!" Zeus slapped Mick on the back as Hades screamed in anger and frustration.

Meanwhile, as Mick was helping the Gods, Ray shot down to where Pain and Panic where trying to run away.

"Oh God, please don't hurt us!" Panic begged, "Our intentions were pure!"

"Yeah! We really were attracted to you!"

Needless to say, Ray didn't listen and took great pleasure in throwing them off the edge of Mount Olympus, listening to their screams of fear as they fell to the ground far below.

Back with Zeus and Mick, Hepahestus was rushing over, a fresh bundle of lightning bolts in his hand, which he threw to Zeus before pulling his son into a hug.

"Glad you could make it Son…" Hephaestus murmured into Mick's ear, before pulling away and smirking at him, "… now, time to watch your old man work!"

As Zeus and Hephaestus turned their attention to the Titans, identical and wicked smirks on their faces, the Titans visibly took a step back…. Before running away.

"GET YOUR TITANIAN REARS BACK HERE!" Hades ordered, vaguely hearing the sound of a blaster behind him, "GET THEM IN GEAR AND KICK SOME OLYMPIAN BUTT!"

He then glanced down at his chest, where there was a large, smoking hole.

"Where the hell did that come from?"

…..

"And here I was having fun!" Mick cackled, watching as the Titans tried to run away, "Spoilsports!"

Grabbing the end of the Tornado Titan, Mick span it around until it was facing the other Titans, quickly sucking them into the tornado, before he started to swirl the tornado around and around and around, mixing them all together… and then letting go.

The Titans shot up into the sky, shooting off into the distance and disappearing without a trace.

"Yes!" Hephaestus cheered, slapping his son on the back as Mick whooped in glee.

"Thanks a ton Fireball!" He heard Hades snarl from above, "But at least I've got one, small consolation prize! A friend of yours, who's dying to see me!"

Mick, who was chasing after Hades on Ray, stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening in realisation. "Lenny!"

…..

Len groaned and winced in pain, his breaths coming in shorter and faster… unaware of what was happening far below the earth.

A string was being drawn taunt.

….

Mick knew he was pushing Ray to the limit, but he had to get back to Central City.

…..

Sharp scissors were brought closer to the taunt string.

…

Almost there, he was almost there!

…..

The scissors closed, and the string was cut.

Up above Len's hand went limp in Cisco's grip, just as Mick and Ray touched down.

"Lenny!" Mick cried out, taking a step back at the ashen look on Len's face.

Slowly, Cisco twisted around to look at him, only to shake his head sadly and move away, allowing Mick to kneel by Len's side.

"Lenny, Oh god, please no!" he begged, pulling Leonard's head into his lap. When there was no response, his shoulders started to shake, and tears made their way down his cheeks as he pulled Len into a hug.

Almost five minutes passed in complete silence, broken only be the sound of Mick sobbing… and Ray as well come to think about it.

"I'm sorry Mick…" Cisco whispered, kneeling by his side, "… there are just some things you can't change."

Immediately, Mick's entire posture changed. Slowly, he lowered Len back down to the ground and pushed himself to his feet.

"Yes… I can."

….

"AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"

Pain and Panic ducked for cover as shadows crept all along the wall, cracking the stone under the force of the anger Hades was showing.

"WE WERE SO CLOSE!" he screamed, "So close! We tripped at the final hurdle, why? Because Junior just had to get all noble!"

Suddenly, his chamber started to shake violently, rubble dropping down to the ground. Seconds later, the stone wall exploded, and Cerberus burst through, Mick standing on his head, ears in his hands.

"Where's Lenny?"

"Well, well, well…" Hades got to his feet, "… look who's here! Fireball, you are too much!"

Clearly beaten, broken and burnt, Cerberus lowered his head, allowing Mick to get off and grab Hades by the collar, practically pinning him against his throne.

"Let. Him. Go!"

"Oh, get a grip!" Hades sounded amused, prying Mick's fingers away from him, "Come on, I'll show you around."

Slowly, he led Mick to a stone ledge, that over-looked a green, swirling pool… made up of the souls of people.

"It's a small underworld after all, isn't it…" Hades mused, gesturing at the pool.

As he stared down, a familiar face caught Mick's attention. "LEN!" he knelt down and tried to grab the soul floating past, only to yelp in pain and pull his hands back, wincing at the sight of them being all wrinkled and aching.

"Ah, Ah, Ah!" Hades shook his head, "Not for touching! You see, Junior's running with a new crowd nowadays, and not a very lively one at that."

Mick Was silent for a short time, before a smirk appeared on his face and he turned to face Hades. "You like making deals, right? Take me in Lenny's place."

"Hmmm…" Hades raised a shadowy hand up to his face, "… the son of my most hated rival, trapped forever in a river of death."

"Going once!"

"Huh, is there a downside to this?"

"Going twice!"

Hades held up his hands, "Alright, alright, alright! You get her out and she goes…. You stay."

Without another word, Mick dived into the pool, desperately swimming to where Len was floating.

Of course, with the speed that he dived in, he missed Hades's next words.

"Oh, you know what, it just slipped my mind…. You'll be dead before you can reach him. That's not going to be a problem, is it?!"

In the pool, Mick could feel himself aging, his bones getting stiffer and stiffer and his skin wrinkling under his gaze.

…..

The string was pulled taunt, and scissors edged closer.

…..

He was so close!

He could almost touch him!

Just a few more seconds!

…

The scissor blade snapped together…. But the string didn't cut.

Instead, it glowed a shining gold colour.

"What's the matter with these scissors?!"

"The thread won't cut!"

…

Hades felt like he was going to be sick as he watched a glowing, gold hand reach up to the ledge and grab it, muscles tensing as Mick pulled himself up onto the ledge, Len's soul cradled in his arms.

"Th-that can't be possible!" he found himself stammering, ""Y-you can't be alive, that would make you a-a-a- "

"A God?" Both Pain and Panic finished at the same time, as Mick stood up tall, his entire body glowing, illuminating the dark cavern, almost as though his entire family was on fire.

"AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!" Hades screamed in anger and frustration, as even his shadows weren't able to darken Mick's glow. "Michael! You can't do this to me, you can't- "

A fireball struck him in the face, his head disappearing under the force as Mick casually strode past.

As his head morphed back, Hades shrugged. "Alright, well I deserved that!" He shot over to Mick and tried to stop him from leaving, "Mick! Mick can we talk?! You know Zeus right? He's the fun guy right, so maybe you can put in a good word with him and- "he paused, morphing into his human form and putting his hands together in a silent prayer, "- please. You wouldn't do this to your possible father-in-law would you?"

Mick's face twisted in anger, and with a snarl of fury, he grabbed the God by the collar…. It was then that Hades remembered how vulnerable he was in this form. Before he could say anything, Mick spun around and threw the man into the green pool, continuing on his way out as the God struggled.

"GET OFF ME! DON'T TOUCH ME! GET YOUR SLIMY SOULS OFF OF ME!"

Up on the ledge, Pain and Panic were watching in alarm.

"He's going to be so mad when he gets out of there!" Panic hissed.

"You mean, if he gets out of there."

Turning to Pain, Panic smirked, "If… If is good."

"Oh, I don't feel so good…." They heard Hades groan down below, "… In fact, I'm feeling a little FLUSHED!"

With a desperate cry, Hades was gone…. Dragged to the bottom of the pool by the souls that were once under his guard.

…..

Getting back to Central City was easier.

Slowly, without taking his eyes off Len's soul, Mick knelt by the broken and battered body of his lover, ignoring the gasped shocks of Cisco and Ray as he gently placed the soul back into the body.

The change was instant.

With a loud gasp, the wounds on Len's body disappeared and his back arched, like he'd received an electric shock right through his spine as the colour returned to his skin. When his eyes finally opened, they landed on Mick and narrowed in confusion.

"Mick? What- Why did you- "

Slowly, Mick lifted him into his arms and pulled the younger man closer. "What can I say… people do crazy things, when they're in love."

Seconds before their lips could connect, there was a flash of lightning and a cloud appeared beneath their feet, lifting them up into the sky and through the clouds.

"Ray! Follow that cloud!" they heard Cisco cry out behind them.

Within seconds, the cloud had arrived at the top of Mount Olympus, where the Gods and Goddess's all stood cheering outside the golden gates.

"Three cheers for the Mighty Michael!" Ares whooped

"Wahooooo! Go Michael!" Barry/Hermes cried out beside him.

Turning away from Len, Mick stared up at the group of Gods and Goddess's, instantly spotting the man who was his Father, and a gorgeous woman standing beside him. Slowly letting go of Len's hands, Mick made his way up the stairs, with the woman rushing down to meet him halfway.

"Michael…" she cooed, pulling him into a hug, "… I'm so proud of you!"

"…. Mother?"

As she nodded, Hephaestus came up and pulled Mick into a hug of his own. "Well done my boy! You've done it, you're a true hero!"

"You were willing to give your life, in order to save this young man." Aphrodite gestured at Len, giving him a small wink as Len tried to turn away from all the attention.

"For a true hero isn't measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart…. Now at last, my son, you can come home."

The golden gates opened wide to reveal the marble structures of Olympus, with the Gods and Goddesses crowding around Mick immediately, all shouting their congratulations and exclamations of joy.

And Len could only watch from the bottom of the stairs, the joy of being alive fading quickly. "Congratulations Fireball… you'll be a great God." He muttered sadly, turning away from the happy scene and looking for another way to get off this bloody mountain.

Meaning that he completely missed Mick twisted around to try and see him, a big beam on his face…. until he saw how dejected Len looked.

"You know… this is what I've always dreamed of." He stated, eyes still on Len, "… Mount Olympus… God-hood and all that crap… but a life without Lenny, even an immortal life would be empty."

At the mention of his name, Len spun around, walking forwards as Mick raced towards him.

"So, here's my deal…." Mick started, "… I'm happy for this whole immortal life, but Lenny deserves it as well. We're both the children of Gods ain't we?"

Lenny held his breath as Zeus stepped forwards, scanning him from head to toe, before nodding and smiling at the pair.

"You are indeed…" With a click of the God's fingers, Len started to glow as well, "… as the son of Hades, I see no reason why Michael should choose between his family and the person he loves… and there is a spot open for Lord of the Underworld."

Mick whooped in glee, grabbing Len around the waist and pulling the new God closer and kissing him solidly on the lips as the rest of the Gods and Goddesses cheered…. And steam rose up from between them.

"You're feeling a little chilly there Lenny…" Mick whispered against his lover's lips, watching as Len raised a hand up near his face and concentrated, a thing layer of ice covering it.

"…. Cool."

"Lenny…. That was a terrible pun."

"It was beautiful, and you know it."

As the couple argued softly, Zeus waved his hand and a familiar figure appeared in the stars, which led to Ray nudging Cisco in the side, "Look…" the taller man whispered, "… it's Cisco's boy…. Are you crying?"

"No… I've got something in my eye."

With everyone distracted, looking at the new constellation, Len grabbed Mick's hand and started to tug on it.

"Come on… we've got my new throne to break in."

"Yes Sir, Mister Lord of the Underworld Sir!"


End file.
